The 7th annual Indigenous Film Festival is being held in Forest this weekend.
Organizer Candace Scott-Moore said they want everyone to learn and heal together.
"The reason we started this was so that we can bring our communities together," said Scott-Moore. "We want to share Indigenous stories. We want Indigenous voices to be heard and -- through that understanding of who we are as Indigenous people in Canada -- once people understand and hear our stories, that's where that healing comes in."
Doors to the Kineto Theatre open at 6:15 p.m. on Friday.
Local films, made by area students, will be showcased, and work by Indigenous artisans and food will be sold.
"We will be showcasing artist bios, highlighting the artists in our community," she said. "We have a thriller that was created and shot entirely in the community with local actors, we have some music videos and other projects that we're going to share. All highlighting the area of Lambton Shores and Kettle and Stony Point."
"The Great Salish Heist" will be shown on Saturday and a documentary film called "So Surreal: Behind the Masks" will be shown on Sunday.
"Over the last seven years the audiences are getting larger," she said. "There's a lot of interest behind our stories and it's a really great place to come for a conversation following the films."
Scott-Moore said the feedback they've received over the years has been very positive.
"People often come and say, 'I had no idea this was going on. I didn't know this was an issue. I didn't know these things happened. Now we get it,'" said Scott-Moore. "So, the purpose behind bringing this film festival forward is for our own people to celebrate who we are and our stories, but also for our neighbouring communities and non-Indigenous people to come and celebrate who we are also."
A full schedule of events and showtimes can be found on the Kineto Theatre's Facebook page.